


Foolish Pride

by tinakennard



Category: The L Word (TV 2004), The L Word: Generation Q (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28998624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinakennard/pseuds/tinakennard
Summary: Tina and Bette are both chaperoning Angie's school dance when a suspiciously familiar song starts playing. Will they get swept away by memories? Or is it too late?
Relationships: Tina Kennard/Bette Porter
Comments: 20
Kudos: 43





	Foolish Pride

**Author's Note:**

> Heya everybody!
> 
> I'm actually very excited about this little piece here. Thank you to @howsyourtwomums for suggesting this premise. I hope I've done it justice!
> 
> Also, just as a note/reassurance, though this is set in the general Gen Q universe, Tina and Carrie have split. Jen and Laurel were very clear that if/when B&T get back together, they don't want it to be cheating. So I wanted to keep it that way.

Bette had no business looking this beautiful. It was all Tina could think as she eyed her from across the room. She shouldn’t be looking. She knew that, but leave it to her ex-wife to make black slacks and a plain sweater look like a top-end designer dress. Being single again was hard for Tina, the exquisite agony of doing the right thing burning its way through the empty house she’d planned to share with the fiancee she no longer had. If she was entirely honest with herself, it wasn’t a surprise. She’d been fond of Carrie, loved her even, but just like Bette herself said all those years ago, it didn’t really compare. It couldn’t. The simple truth of the matter was as follows:

Bette Porter was the love of her life.

And now, finally, once and for all, Tina knew she couldn’t outrun it. The only question was… Was it too late?

Bette’s eyes landed on hers and Tina felt her breath catch.

_How does she still do that after all this time?_

Hazel hues darted away, and Tina decided she was suddenly fascinated by the punch bowl. She almost didn’t hear the silky smooth voice above the blood pounding in her ears.

“You don’t have to avoid me, you know.”

Tina froze, the butterflies taking flight in her stomach with no plans to come down soon. She took a moment to steel herself, years of southern grace bringing the trained smile to her features as she turned to face the object of her thoughts. “Hey… I’m not avoiding you.”

“Tee…” Bette narrowed her brows in that way Tina knew meant ‘ _bullshit_ ’. That was the thing about them: They saw through each other, every time. They used different tools to build the walls around their hearts. Bette used her fierce personality, her fire, her iron will, and her penchant for self-destruction. Tina, ever the yang to Bette’s yin, avoided and pacified and refused to talk about her true feelings. At the end of the day though, a wall was a wall, and years ago, that had been the end of them.

“Really, Bette. I’m not. I’m just…” Tina stared into the cup of punch she’d been pouring for herself (for something to do with her hands more than anything else). “I’m trying to give you your space, you know?”

“It’s a high school dance, Tina. It’s not like I’m going to pick a fight with you in the middle of the dance floor.”

“Oh, I know, that’s not…”

“Relax,” a flash of a smile crossed Bette’s face, “I know that wasn’t what you were saying.” A moment of silence and Bette sighed. “We’re family, Tina. It’s like you said… We’re going to have to learn to coexist with each other now that you’re spending your hiatuses in LA, right?”

“Yeah…” Tina couldn’t help but stare at the brunette. It wasn’t that Bette was immature, per se, but to be so calm and rational and… forgiving? Perhaps she wasn’t the same woman she’d married after all. Better yet, maybe she _was_ the same woman, but closer to the surface. Tina had always loved Bette’s heart more than anything else about her. It was wonderfully strange to see it so openly in a place like this.

She felt that tug at her heart again. Teeth sunk into her bottom lip and she had to pull her gaze from Bette’s face, lest she get lost in the way Bette’s eyes got so doe-like in moments of vulnerability. Or the way her lips curled up in that tiny, sad smile. Or the different way her bangs framed her face when her hair was straight like it was now.

She had no right. She repeated it to herself over and over again. She wasn’t sorry for pursuing her own happiness. She refused to apologize for that, but she hated that she’d run. It was the way she’d survived her childhood, by making herself as small as possible. If they can’t see you, they can’t hurt you.

But Bette was not her father, mother, nor her older sister. They’d had their problems, but maybe, just maybe…

It was time for Tina to stop running.

* * *

Meanwhile, leaning casually against a row of lockers, rainbow ribbons weaved into her hair, Angelica Porter-Kennard had a plan. The smile that lit up her face when Jordi escaped from the gym was equal parts elated and mischievous. It was a look that instantly caused Jordi to laugh.

“Oh my God, Angie… That smile is worrying me.”

“No, no, no, this is going to be a good thing I swear!”

“Okay, well… My cousin’s in the sound booth now if you want to go meet him?”

Angie beamed at her girlfriend and took her hand. “You’re the best.”

“Don’t you forget it, PK.” Jordi gave a playful toss of her hair.

When the girls reached the sound booth that the dance’s music was playing from, they found a boy there waiting for them. Jordi’s cousin Casey was clearly related to her: Dark hair, similar angular features. He adjusted his dark-rimmed glasses as he typed something into his laptop. When the girls entered, he looked at Angie. “Did you bring it?”

Angie quirked a brow. “Can’t I just type it into your computer? It’s the 21st century, dude.”

“Right. You just said it was kind of an old song so…”

“Come on Case,” Jordi laughed, “Spotify has everything.”

A moment later, Angie’s eyes lit up as she came across what she wanted. “There. That one.”

Jordi and Casey leaned over on either side of Angie’s shoulder.

“1969? Damn dude, how old are your parents?”

Angie shot a glare over her shoulder at Casey, who held up his hands. “Can you handle this or not?”

“I’ve got you covered, don’t worry. Now get back in there so you have a solid alibi.”

Angie’s face melted into a smile and she leaned in to press a kiss to Casey’s cheek. Watching his face go red, Jordi couldn’t help the fit of giggles she descended into.

As the girls returned to the dance, Jordi smiled at Angie. “I think it’s really sweet what you’re doing for your moms.”

“Sweet? Please, I’m desperate. Every time one of them drops me off with the other one they get all weird and moon-eyed at each other. T’s not with Carrie anymore so… Maybe now they have a shot y’know? They just need a little push.”

“Well hopefully this’ll do the trick.”

* * *

“All right everybody,” Casey’s smooth voice came over the speaker, “For this next song, we’re going to be taking it back a bit. The students would like to invite the chaperones to participate in this one. So feel free to grab a partner and bring them out onto the dance floor.”

Bette scoffed. “And let the kids run wild? I don’t think so.”

“I mean… it could be fun…” Tina breathed, almost before she could stop herself. Not for the first time that evening, part of her wished the punch was spiked.

“Tina, they’re just looking for an excuse to…” Bette trailed off, looking up towards the ceiling.

“An excuse to what?” Tina’s eyes followed Bette’s, trying to see where she was looking. Seeing nothing, she chose to look around the gym instead. Was Bette seeing something she wasn’t? What was going on?

“Tee… the song.”

Tina paused for a moment, listening...

...And then she felt it in her entire body. Memories flashed before her mind’s eye.

_The movie is a disaster. Adele has staged a hostile takeover, your bosses have iced you and accused you of theft, you have no idea what you’re going to do, but none of it matters because Bette is there. Bette is there, in your arms, and kissing you like you’re the very air she breathes. You might as well be the only two on the dance floor. This is perfect and right and everything you ever wanted and home. This is home._

Tina swallowed hard. Of all the songs to start playing, it just had to be Walk On By?

She considered brushing it off with a laugh, a breathy, “Wow, what a coincidence!” She considered maintaining those carefully constructed walls and keeping them in that strange in-between place because even though it was uncomfortable, it felt safe.

Her head turned, and all of a sudden, something in her snapped. She was done. Done running, done hiding. They had both let their marriage fall apart. Tina had always seen herself as the lighthouse in their relationship, the one to stay solid and guide Bette home when she lost her way. Then she’d left, and now…

Now nothing was the way it was, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe different was exactly what they needed.

Her hand extended itself towards Bette before she could second guess herself. When Bette noticed, she looked from the hand to Tina and back again. “What?”

“Dance with me.” Tina’s voice was warm, gentle. There were no expectations, just hope and love, so much love.

“What? Tina, I don’t think that would be appropri-“

“For once in your life, Bette, just… fuck what’s appropriate.”

“Tina, what has gotten into you? This is our daughter’s school!”

“I know, but look… a bunch of the other parents and teachers are heading out there….” She gestured with her chin towards the assorted adult couples on the dance floor.

They looked at each other for a moment, not saying a word, though it took everything in Tina’s power not to get down on her knees and say, _“Please. Please just one dance. Just let me be close to you for four and a half minutes. It won’t be nearly enough, but it’ll do. It’ll get me through.”_ But she didn’t. She was about to pull her hand away, to gracefully accept the rejection, when Bette’s warm hand firmly grasped hers. “Okay.” Bette’s voice was nearly a whisper and her eyes… _Damn her,_ Tina thought, _her eyes_ _are doing that thing again._

Tina remembered how Bette had walked behind her that night, head ducked ever so slightly, ready to follow where she led. In many ways, as she stood in front of her, Bette’s posture was the same now. “Hey…” Tina gently tapped the underside of Bette’s chin, smiling brightly when the brunette raised her gaze. “It’s just me.” She placed her hands on Bette’s shoulders.

Bette laughed. “That’s kind of the problem…”

The next gaze that passed between them blew the doors wide open. Their eyes met and suddenly, Tina noticed that Bette seemed to be as nervous as she was, perhaps even more so. “Just stay with me,” she soothed, starting to sway back and forth to the music. She took a step closer, her stomach just brushing against Bette’s. “Just stay right here with me.”

Bette looked up, and for a moment it was like they’d never come apart at the seams. She took her own step closer and before they knew it, Tina’s arms were wrapped around Bette’s neck and Bette’s hands were planted firmly on Tina’s waist. They let themselves get lost in the familiar melody of each other, the song guiding them, once again, home.

From the corner of the gym, Angie nudged Jordi, grinning from ear to ear. Jordi leaned into her girlfriend slightly, overjoyed to see her so happy.

Tina and Bette were too lost in each other to notice their daughter’s antics. Inside their own little bubble, they were timeless. They were simultaneously back at that wrap party, in Bette’s gallery when she first kissed Tina, at their wedding, and right here with each other all at once. Past, present, and future blended together into a brilliant tapestry of love and dedication. Now all that was left was to seal it with a kiss.

It wasn’t clear who leaned in first, but when their lips met, the years between them washed away. Tina let out a small hum into the kiss, hand curling into the fabric of Bette’s sweater. The arms around Tina’s waist pulled her in even closer, and the barest tease of Bette’s tongue had Tina’s lips parting eagerly for her. The heat started to pool low in her belly. She wanted her. God, she wanted her more than anything in the world.

“Get a room!”

They were both breathless when they parted, eyes locked, hearts entwined. Bette looked over Tina’s shoulder and found that a grinning Angie was the one who had shouted at them. For a moment, she considered reprimanding her, but then she felt Tina’s hand in hers and she realized it didn’t matter. She wasn’t sure what was happening between the two of them, but it seemed like it could be the start of them finding their way back to each other, and that was enough. For both of them, that was more than enough.

* * *

Later that night, Bette had an arm wrapped around each of her girls. Tina was cuddled into her side and Angie’s head was laying on her opposite shoulder. The peaceful silence was only interrupted by Angie dropping the question. “So are you guys back together now? Like officially?”

Hazel eyes met brown. Were they? Both of them were internally screaming _“Yes, yes, don’t you see Angie? Your other mom has always had my heart.”_ But new beginnings were tenuous, and they had to be nurtured with care, especially because if they fucked it up again, it wasn’t just them that would get hurt. They could see the hope in Angie’s eyes, and both mothers privately had a suspicion that tonight’s coincidence was, in fact, a carefully orchestrated plan, masterminded by the girl in front of them.

Tina gave a slight nod of her head, and that was all the permission Bette needed. “We’re working on it,” she announced. “I think…” She looked at Tina, silently giving her the chance to jump in whenever she liked. “I think we both want to be, but we want to take it slow, just to make sure we get it right this time.”

Tina nodded. “For you and for us."

“I guess that makes sense,” Angie mused, “I mean neither of you is as young as you used to be. You've really got to assess if you want to get really old together.” With a self-satisfied smirk, their teenaged girl skipped ahead, climbing into the car.

Mouth slightly agape, Tina turned to look at Bette. “Did our daughter just call us old?”

“I think she did. But you know what?” Bette stopped walking for a moment, turning to take Tina’s hands in her own.

“What?”

“I don’t feel old. Tonight… tonight I feel amazing.”

Tina’s face lit up the way it always did when Bette embraced her inner poet. She couldn’t help but pull her in for another soft kiss. Afterward, when they stood there, forehead to forehead, Tina knew, somehow, that they’d make it this time. They were too important to each other not to. And maybe that was naive of her, but she felt something that she hadn’t felt in a long time: Hope.

She let out a contented sigh, and those words Bette said what felt like a thousand years ago ran through Tina’s head for what felt like the millionth time. _It feels like I’m coming home._ “To new beginnings,” she murmured, her voice just about a whisper.

Bette heard her. Loud and clear. “To new beginnings.”

**Author's Note:**

> And there ya have it!
> 
> In case it wasn't blatantly obvious, the song Angie had Casey play was Walk On By by Isaac Hayes aka the song they danced to in 5x12.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed it! I tend to be very critical of my writing and I didn't totally hate this one, so I hope that's a good sign!
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think about it. This is the second fanfic I've written in about 1,000 years so I'm trying to ease my way back in.


End file.
